gifts of nature 

Registration in mugs, sports sections, creative houses. Moscow City Palace of Children's and Youth Creativity (former Palace of Pioneers) Children's Palace of Youth and Creativity

Palace of Children and Youth Creativity(like Center for Children and Youth Creativity) - a type of institution of additional education for children in Russia, with a large number of children's creative associations, studios, art groups, associations (circles and sections) of technical, scientific and technical creativity, environmental education, sports sections, military-patriotic, tourist and local history associations , information technologies.

These palaces and centers arose in the year after the reorganization of the palaces (and houses) of pioneers and schoolchildren - as multidisciplinary institutions where classes are held, as a rule, free of charge. An insignificant part of associations (informatics, music education, early development of preschool children, certain types of wrestling and martial arts, car clubs) operate on the basis of parental fees.

Modern Russian palaces of creativity for children and youth

Today, palaces of creativity occupy an important place in the system of Russian education. Remaining together with the Centers for Children's and Youth Creativity the largest and most multifunctional institutions of additional education for children, they, in fact, are not only a conglomerate of student associations, but also a place for the development and communication of children.

A child studying at the Palace of Creativity finds a second home, where he is not only taught and formed some social skills, but where he finds his future profession, determines his life choice, like-minded friends, mentors for life. The ability to voluntarily choose the type of creativity, move from one circle or section to another, while remaining in the same institution, allows the child and adolescent to choose their place in life, more accurately assess their capabilities and abilities, and realize their creative potential.

As a rule, it is the Palaces, which have preserved the best traditions of the Soviet system of out-of-school education and received a powerful impetus with the development of the Russian system of additional education, that today are most in demand by parents and children for receiving a quality education that determines the child's professional choice. Many of the Palaces in the 90s opened gymnasiums and lyceums, other educational institutions with in-depth study of individual subjects. The practice of joint activities of universities and palaces is developing.

The methodological service of regional palaces of creativity (city, regional, regional, republican) works not only for the teaching staff of these institutions, but also for municipal houses and centers of creativity, centers for young technicians, tourists, etc., located in the region.

It has become a good practice to use the potential of the Palaces for the revival of children's public associations, many of the leaders of the regional unions of children's organizations work in the staff of the Palaces.

Some of the Palaces have their own out-of-town recreational and health-improving institutions for children (for example, the Zerkalny out-of-town recreation center of the St. Petersburg City Palace of Youth Creativity) for holding summer creative schools and profile shifts for pupils of the palaces.

Many of the palaces have become laureates of all-Russian competitions for institutions of additional education for children.

As part of the priority national project "Education", graduates and students of art palaces received awards to support talented youth, established by Decree of the President of Russia No. 325 of April 6, 2019. For example, in 2006-2007, more than 40 pupils of the St. Petersburg City Palace of Youth Creativity were awarded similar prizes in the amount of 30 thousand and 60 thousand rubles.

Related institutions in other countries

see also

  • Moscow City Palace of Children's (Youth) Creativity

Links


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On December 7, 2016, the Moscow Palace of Pioneers on Sparrow Hills celebrates its 80th anniversary. Over half a million young Muscovites found friends and like-minded people here, many of them decided on their future profession. the site and the Moscow Main Archival Administration recall important events from the history of this unique institution.

The palace begins ... from the house

In 1936, the Moscow City House of Pioneers and Octobrists (MGDPiO) was opened in house 6 in Stopani Lane (now Ogorodnaya Sloboda Lane, not far from the Chistye Prudy metro station). Everyone knew this out-of-school institution of a wide profile, and in common parlance it was called simply "Gord", or "House on the Stopani". The Vozhatiy magazine called it "the first of the laboratories that are being created in the Soviet country to educate a new person, a cultural citizen of the socialist homeland."

The beautiful mansion, where the House of Pioneers is located, belonged to the Vysotsky family before the revolution, who owned one of the largest tea trading companies in Russia. As a high school student, Boris Pasternak often visited here: having fallen in love with the owner's daughter, he quickly turned from a tutor into a family friend. Then the building was occupied by trade unions, the Central Club of Communications Workers and the Society of Old Bolsheviks.

For the children, the house was redecorated from the inside, altering the "merchant's bad taste and wealth" in the spirit of the era. Here is how the historian Vladimir Kabo describes it: “It was a beautiful white Renaissance mansion surrounded by an old garden... In the huge hall I was met by a panel depicting a good-naturedly smiling Stalin with a dark-haired girl in his arms. In the middle of the hall is a fountain; before the new year, there was always a tall tree, all in the lights. From the hall, doors led to a large concert hall and a buffet, decorated in the form of a grotto. I climbed the stairs first to the second floor, there was a lecture hall where we were given lectures on various topics and where we met with famous writers, and there was a room decorated with frescoes on the plots of folk tales. Above, on the third floor, our literary studio was gathering.

A year after the opening, 173 circles and sections worked at the Moscow State Children's Children's and Educational Society, which were attended by about 3,500 children and adolescents. One building was not enough for them, and Gordom occupied the neighboring mansion (house 5) as a studio for technical creativity. This building housed an office of young inventors, an aircraft modeling and woodworking workshops, and six more laboratories - railway and water transport, communications, a photo laboratory, chemical and energy. The technical direction at that time was a priority, since the Soviet Union was experiencing rapid industrialization.

Qualified specialists were seriously trained from children: for example, in the railway laboratory there was a working model of a metro station with electric locomotives, escalators and a control tower. They also made a steam locomotive for a miniature railway, which was planned to be built in the garden, but the war prevented ...

Not only technology

Artistic creativity also actively developed: an orchestra, a choir, a music school, a dance school, a theater studio, a puppet theater, sculpture and architectural workshops, a literary and art studio worked in the House of Pioneers. Only the pioneer song and dance ensemble in 1937 had 500 participants, and 750 people were employed in the production of "The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Bogatyrs" by Pushkin Days!

Frequent guests of the literary studio were Samuil Marshak, Agniya Barto, Lev Kassil, Arkady Gaidar, Reuben Fraerman, Korney Chukovsky. It is not surprising that famous writers later came out of here: Yuri Trifonov, Sergei Baruzdin and Anatoly Aleksin. The theater studio is also proud of its graduates: among them are directors Stanislav Rostotsky and Alexander Mitta, artists Natalya Gundareva, Lyudmila Kasatkina, Igor Kvasha and Rolan Bykov. Actor Sergey Nikonenko recalls: “The spirit of kindness and commitment reigned in this House. We all loved our teachers to self-forgetfulness ... We had a common cause with them. We didn't feel like we were at school. Both they and we wanted the same thing - that we succeeded as best as possible. They did not believe that childhood is a transitional period to the present, that is, adulthood. They understood that childhood is also a real life. They respected the individual in each of us.”

In the House of Pioneers, much attention was paid to the study of Russian history and geography, especially Moscow studies. The work was not only desk work: for example, to get acquainted with the culture of antiquity, young historians visited the funds of the Hermitage, and in the summer they went to excavations in the Crimea; geographers organized expeditions to the Moscow region and the Caucasus.

Sports were also not forgotten, but mainly in applied disciplines. "According to the dictates of the times" the military-sports and patriotic direction was actively developing. Since December 1936, a combined pioneer regiment has been operating, where future snipers, tankers, paratroopers, cavalrymen, orderlies, signalmen, dog breeders and pigeon breeders were trained. And in 1938, they created a defense (later military) department, which included a shooting room, a naval laboratory, a school for instructors in chemical and air defense, circles of machine gunners and grenade launchers.

In the prewar years, the foundation was laid for the Gordom chess club, which later became one of the strongest schools of this sport in the capital. Young chess players published a handwritten newspaper, participated in various tournaments and simultaneous games with famous grandmasters.

creative space

In a small area of ​​the House of Pioneers, everything that could attract and amaze children was collected. Want to roller skate? Here is the paved area in front of the gate. There are also children's pedal cars; later a garage was built for them. Want to read and cook outdoors? There are cozy benches on shady alleys. If you want to frolic - go to the sports ground. You don’t even have to go to the zoo: in the courtyard there was a garden with fruit trees, and in it there was a pool with waterfowl, next to it there was a living corner with cages for young animals and a small stable with a foal. Gordom's space was a real masterpiece of landscape design.

And most importantly, the entire House of Pioneers was a single whole, a huge creative laboratory, where enthusiastic people worked, who inspired and nurtured each other. From the memoirs of the historian Nikolai Merpert: “This entire House of Pioneers ... seemed to be very valuable and, in the best sense of the word, a profound institution. All sorts of circles talked with each other, there was a magnificent theater hall where we used to meet, and then many halls, passages, very cozy corners - this old brick mansion in Stopani lane was extremely well rebuilt. Therefore, we or the youth theater, created at the same time and led by excellent directors, a geographical circle, within the framework of the historical office, a Moscow history circle - we all communicated very, very closely.

Adult help during the war years

Despite all the difficulties, the House of Pioneers worked during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). Basically there were circles that could help the front: sewing, carpentry, plumbing, electrical. But classes continued and creative studios, especially theatrical, dance and choir: young artists staged concerts for the Red Army.

In January 1942, Gordom took patronage of one of the military hospitals. The carpentry circle made mouthpieces for the wounded, the sewing circle made pouches, collars and handkerchiefs. For the holidays, the pioneers collected books and records for the fighters, gave them a gramophone and an alloscope (a kind of filmoscope, a device for projecting filmstrips. - Approx. Site).

The guys brought writing materials to their sponsors - envelopes, postcards, paper and pencils, they themselves wrote news to relatives under dictation and read newspapers aloud to the soldiers. Young artists decorated with their drawings not only the premises of the hospital, but also the wagons of the ambulance train.

"Pioneer" Tuesdays and Fridays have become a good tradition, when the circle members spent creative evenings in the hospital - they sang, danced, acted out skits and read excerpts from works of art. And the guys also took on the duties of postmen, delivering the latest press and correspondence.

All this was done so easily and cheerfully that the fighters happily waited for new meetings with the pioneers. Even the hospital commissioners, who at first were very skeptical about the offer to help, after a few months recognized Gordom as a full-fledged chef.

In addition, during the war years, the House of Pioneers continued to provide methodological and practical support to out-of-school institutions and children's organizations in all districts of Moscow: it developed training programs and trained counselors and instructors.

After the war: patriotism and expansion of frontiers

In the post-war years, the country experienced an unprecedented patriotic upsurge. Interest in native history flared up with renewed vigor. This could not but affect the work of the House of Pioneers: historical circles became one of the main areas. They were especially active in preparation for the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the capital (1947). Back in November 1945, the Society of Young Historians of Moscow was created, which united the efforts of the House of Pioneers and historical circles in schools.

Members of the Society gave lectures, participated in excursions and travels, archaeological excavations and various competitions. In 1946, schoolchildren sent 25 thousand creative works dedicated to the history of Moscow, in 1947 - 80 thousand. There were stories, poems, drawings, models, embroideries, photographs…

Thanks to its large-scale activities, the Society has received many awards from the Ministry of Education, such as a library of historical literature and vouchers for excursions around the country. The active work of historical circles continued in subsequent years: in 1948, the competition "Remarkable People of Moscow" was held, in April 1956 - a city-wide school conference on the study of Moscow.

Other studios and laboratories opened earlier also developed. According to statistics, already in the first post-war year, more than three thousand schoolchildren studied at the House of Pioneers, and the number of participants in concerts, competitions, sports festivals and other mass events reached 35 thousand per month.

In the late 1950s, it became clear that Gordom could not accommodate everyone. In a report for 1956, the director of the House of Pioneers V.V. Strunin wrote: “According to its conditions, our House of Pioneers cannot cover more than 3800-4000 people with circle work ... If there were appropriate conditions, the composition of the ensemble choir alone could be increased to 2000-3000 people ... Taking into account the aspirations of schoolchildren for creative amateur performances and the importance circle work in the education of students, it is necessary to achieve the creation of a wide network of circles in each school, to quickly resolve the issue of building a new City House of Pioneers in Moscow.

Bold project

In 1958, the Central Council of the All-Union Pioneer Organization decided to build on the Lenin Hills not just a new House, but the Palace of Pioneers and Schoolchildren. The memorial stone was laid in the autumn of the same year - on October 29, on the day of the 40th anniversary of the Komsomol; now it is located to the left of the alley leading to the main entrance of the Palace.

They chose a beautiful place - on the high bank of the Moskva River, along the Vorobyovskoye Highway (now Kosygin Street). It turned out to be more difficult to choose a project: there were several dozen proposals, one more interesting than the other. As a result, the application of a team of young architects headed by Igor Pokrovsky won; This group also included Mikhail Khazhakyan, who at one time participated in the reconstruction of the building of the Moscow State Children's and Children's Department in Stopani Lane.

The project was so unusual and innovative that the authors did not hope to implement it, but, apparently, this courage pleased the jury. Firstly, the architects wanted to contrast the new structure with the palaces of the past - magnificent and grandiose, but hardly suitable for children's activities. Secondly, they decided to harmoniously fit the building into the existing green area - because of this, they abandoned the symmetrical composition, and then, already during construction, they corrected the original plan more than once. Thirdly, for reasons of safety and aesthetics, the Palace was placed not on the road, but on a lawn in the depths of a grove. For complete unity with nature - "less massive masonry and more stained-glass windows, transparent glass walls."

The result was a building of free layout, bizarrely scattered across the landscape park. The walls were decorated with monumental multi-colored panels with pioneer emblems: fire, horn, stars; on the end facades, the paintings “Water”, “Earth” and “Sky” were placed, which symbolize the conquest of the elements by man. Even the front square in front of the Palace was not filled with concrete or asphalt - they left a natural lawn, only dividing it with paths of white stone. The center of the composition was a 60-meter flagpole, which turned the area around it into an allegory of a grandiose ship.

One of the hallmarks of the Palace was the winter garden: “This is space, air, light, height. And of course, palm trees, araucaria, creepers, papyrus. However, exotics need normal tropical conditions to grow. The tropics were created using a special automated system for heating the soil, water, and air. I also had to think about the sun glare effectively falling on the greenery, about the glass domes through which the sky would be visible, about the pool with water plants, about the fountain, about the grate separating the through gallery from the winter garden. The lattice was made openwork, decorative, with fish, birds, insects, to match everything else.

Komsomol construction

The construction, which began in 1958, turned out to be large-scale: 18 design organizations were involved for it, and more than 300 enterprises supplied building and finishing materials, engineering structures, equipment and furniture. In addition to hundreds of skilled workers in 40 specialties, more than 50,000 volunteers, boys and girls from all over the country, took part in subbotniks and Sundays in four years. According to official estimates, schoolchildren and students worked here over three million man-hours! Upon completion of construction, more than two thousand trees and about 100 thousand flowers were planted on the territory of the Palace.

The opening of the Palace of Pioneers and Schoolchildren took place on June 1, 1962, on Children's Day. The First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Nikita Khrushchev took part in the solemn ceremony. According to eyewitnesses, he said: "I don't know what others will say, but I like this Palace."

In 1967, the architects and designers of the Palace of Pioneers were awarded the State Prize of the RSFSR. But they certainly considered the words of the famous French architect Bernard Serfus to be the best reward: “I consider architecture to be truly good, which, being modern, does not lose signs of modernity even after many years. I am sure that the building on the Lenin Hills will stand the test of time.

Tests of time

After the opening of the complex on the Lenin Hills, Gordom on Stopani also became a palace - the regional Palace of Pioneers and Schoolchildren named after N.K. Krupskaya (now the Palace of Creativity for Children and Youth of the Central Administrative District).

And the Palace of Pioneers (now on Sparrow Hills) has more than doubled in half a century: if in 1962 it included 400 rooms, now there are already about 900 of them, with a total area of ​​​​almost 40 thousand square meters. About 27.5 thousand children from three to 18 years old study in laboratories, studios, art and technical workshops, sports schools and sections of the Palace (including branches). In total, there are over 1300 study groups in 10 areas: science and culture, technical, artistic and social creativity, information technology, ecology, ethnography, physical culture and sports. In 93 percent of studios and circles, classes are free.

The institution has repeatedly changed its status and name: in 1992 it was renamed the Moscow City Palace of Children and Youth Creativity, in 2001 - the Moscow City Palace of Children's (Youth) Creativity. In 2014-2015, during the reorganization, the Vorobyovy Gory State Budgetary Vocational Educational Institution (GBPOU) was created, which, in addition to the Palace, includes 16 more educational institutions - kindergartens, secondary schools, a college of professional technologies and additional education centers.

The essence of the Palace remains unchanged: people who are passionate about their work still work here. They help children and teenagers develop their abilities and talents, find a calling and a path in life.

And the Palace of Pioneers, which can simultaneously accommodate up to 20 thousand people, is an excellent venue for festive events. Children and parents willingly gather here for Christmas and New Year, Family Day and Children's Day, City Day, Children's Book Week and. Of course, the Palace will also celebrate its own 80th anniversary, which will take place on December 7th.

Used sources

  1. Alleys of old Moscow. Story. Architectural monuments. Routes / Romanyuk S.K. - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2016. - S. 697-698.
  2. Kabo V.R. Road to Australia: A Memoir. - New York: Effect Publishing, 1995. - S. 63-65, 73.
  3. Out-of-school student. - 2004. - No. 4. - C. 24-25.
  4. Our winter garden. Issue No. 1. - M .: Center for Environmental Education MGDD (Yu) T, 2010. - P. 3-12.
  5. Under the sign of goodness: Memories of former pupils of the department of tourism and local history. - M.: MGDTDiYu, 1997. - S. 2-6.
  6. Novogrudsky G.S. Happy architect // Comrade Moscow: a collection of essays. - M .: Soviet Russia, 1973. - S. 386-393.

Associations (circles and sections) of technical, scientific and technical creativity, environmental education, sports sections, military-patriotic, tourist and local history associations, information technologies. It is located on the right high bank of the Moskva River in the Vorobyovy Gory area. It is the central Palace of Children's Creativity in Russia.

Encyclopedic YouTube

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    Built in 1959-1962. the building is one of the first buildings of a new type, the design of which was entrusted to a group of Moscow artists and sculptors. The complex includes a wide variety of elements of monumental painting and sculpture - panels on the ends of large buildings, wall paintings in the foyer of theaters, reliefs on facades, sculptural signs, reliefs on gratings. Having one drawback, problems with ventilation. All this is united by a single style - lapidary, conditional, gravitating towards symbolic expression, symbolism, emblematics, overcoming descriptiveness. The project was selected as the best as a result of the competition.

    Designer: Yu. I. Ionov.

    Organization

    History of MGDD(Yu)T

    The palace was founded in 1936 as the Moscow City House of Pioneers and Octoberists (Gordom) on Stopani (now Ogorodnaya Sloboda, Chistye Prudy metro station).

    The number of children striving to study in Gordom continuously increased and by the end of the 1950s. it became clear that its walls could not accommodate everyone. In 1958, at the state level, a decision was made to build a new children's complex on the Lenin Hills. On October 29, 1958, a solemn rally was held on the grounds of laying the Palace of Pioneers and a foundation stone was set up on which the inscription was carved: “The City Palace of Pioneers was founded by Komsomol members and youth of Moscow in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Komsomol”. The palace was built with money left after the VI World Festival of Youth and Students, held in Moscow in 1957. The construction of the Palace was a shock Komsomol construction site.

    On June 1, 1962, the grand opening of a new complex on Lenin Hills (hereinafter Sparrow Hills) took place. The first secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, first secretary of the Moscow City Committee of the CPSU P. N. Demichev, secretary of the Central Committee of the Komsomol S. P. Pavlov, chairman of the Central Council of the All-Union Pioneer Organization L. K. Balyasnaya came to congratulate the children , Minister of Education of the RSFSR E. I. Afanasenko, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Moscow Council N. A. Dygay, 1st Secretary of the Moscow City Committee of the Komsomol B. N. Pastukhov and other guests of honor.

    On May 19, 1972, on the day of the 50th anniversary of the All-Union Pioneer Organization, a monument to Malchish-Kibalchish, the hero of a fairy tale from A.P. Gaidar's story "Military Secret" (sculptor V.K. Frolov, architect V.S. . Kubasov). On May 19, 1974, at the foot of the monument, a capsule with earth from the grave of Arkady Petrovich Gaidar was buried, delivered by Moscow pioneers from the Ukrainian city of Kanev. So the monument to the literary hero became a memorial to its creator.

    In 1971, for great success in the communist education of the younger generation, the Palace was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. And in 1981 - the honorary title "Exemplary out-of-school institution" was awarded.

    On September 1, 1988, a branch of the Palace of Pioneers was opened: the House of Scientific and Technical Creativity of Youth near the Shabolovskaya metro station. In 1992, it was reorganized from the Moscow City Palace Pioneers and schoolchildren into the Moscow City Palace of Creativity for Children and Youth. In 2001-2014, it was called the Moscow City Palace of Children's (Youth) Creativity; and from September 1, 2014, it became (after merging with a number of other educational institutions) GBPOU of Moscow "Vorobyovy Gory". Now the Palace is 1,314 study groups and teams (in 93% of them education is free) in 11 educational areas, in which about 15,500 schoolchildren are engaged, the total area of ​​​​the Palace is 48.6 hectares, the total area of ​​​​buildings is 39.3 thousand square meters. m², their volume is 219 thousand m³, the total number of premises is 900 units.

    On January 6, 2007, one of the minor planets in honor of the Moscow City Palace of Children's (Youth) Creativity (Palace of Pioneers) was given the name "Palace of Pioneers" (the international name of the minor planet is 22249 Dvorets Pionerov). The planet was discovered on September 11, 1972 by N. S. Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory and registered in the international catalog under the number 22249, its diameter is about 3 km, the minimum distance from the Earth is 109 million km.

    In 2014, the organization was reorganized into the Vorobyovy Gory State Budgetary Vocational Educational Institution.

    Departments of MGDD(Y)T

    Directors of MGDD(Y)T

    Conferences, seminars, competitions and festivals traditionally held at MGDD(Y)T

    • "Day of the city"
    • "Week of play and toys" (held during the autumn holidays)
    • New Year's performances (held during the winter holidays)
    • "Christmas on Sparrow Hills"
    • "Russian Maslenitsa"
    • "Week Children and Young Book" (held during spring break)
    • "Sons of the Fatherland"
    • Festival "Tolerance Team" (June 12)
    • All-Russian Youth Readings. V. I. Vernadsky (annually, correspondence tour in December-February, full-time tour in April on the basis of DNTTM)
    • City competition of research and design works for schoolchildren in Moscow and Russia "We and the Biosphere"
    • Festival "Young Talents of Muscovy"
    • Assembly “Culture and children”

    Exactly one thing can be said about the Palace of Pioneers on Sparrow Hills: this is the best place in Moscow, and at the same time, it is not a Moscow place at all. It is not clear how it exists in this city, it is not clear how it exists at this time. The asymmetric green area is obliquely dissected by a regular grid of asphalt paths. On one side is a fifty-meter stainless steel flagpole. On the other hand, a light, elongated building with an observatory dome and a visor on disappearing columns. In the center - like a piece of glass of a typical Soviet cinema. There are modernist panels on the facades, and everything is very literal: pioneers, bonfires, pipes, Lenin - where without him. Behind the buildings connected in one complex, ash and walnut trees grow. It is quiet, there are no cars, schoolchildren are walking along the paths - even in the late autumn of 2014, the hopeful 1960s reign here.

    The Palace of Pioneers began to be built immediately after the VI World Festival of Youth and Students in 1957, and opened on June 1, 1962 - six months remained before the publication of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, and an eternity before tanks in Prague. At the parade of pioneers, the red ribbon of the new building was cut by Nikita Khrushchev himself. The Palace of Pioneers is the physical embodiment of the thaw and all the best that was in the Soviet Union. The first post-war generation grew up in the country, which did not have to fight for its existence. And in order to satisfy their needs for creativity, for the first time in Soviet history, a place for an eternal holiday was created for children.

    Palace of Pioneers
    on Sparrow Hills

    A masterpiece of Soviet modernism, a team of authors was awarded the State Prize of the RSFSR
    in Architecture 1967

    Architects: Igor Pokrovsky (supervisor), Felix Novikov, Viktor Egerev, Vladimir Kubasov, Boris Paluy, Mikhail Khazhakyan, Yuri Ionov (engineer)

    Years of creation: 1958–1962

    Complex area: 48 ha

    Number of students: 15,500 schoolchildren






    The construction of the complex became an event in the architectural life of the USSR: several concert and theater halls, swimming pools, a winter garden, an observatory and exhibition spaces were combined in one long building. The competition was won by young and unknown architects under the leadership of Igor Alexandrovich Pokrovsky (the future author of the development of Zelenograd) - everyone in the team of seven people was not even 35 years old. The project became their ticket to life: when the State Prize of the RSFSR in the field of architecture was established in 1967, it was the creators of the Palace of Pioneers who were the first to receive it.

    The solution of the Pokrovsky team was radically different from everything that had happened before: these are very light, elegant buildings that fit well into the natural environment, united by a common laconic and clear style - the complete opposite of the excessive late Stalinist neoclassicism. Despite the half-century anniversary and the need for repairs, they still look fresh, modern and diverse. True, the architects did not manage to bring everything they had planned to the end: already in 1963, funding for the continuation of construction was curtailed.











    The Palace of Pioneers on the Sparrow Hills is not limited to just one square or a modernist ensemble made with undeniable taste. It is much larger than its components, and, getting into this space, you can feel a touch of the sacred. Architecture is not only bricks, glass and reinforced concrete. Architecture always expresses the ideology and mood of society: by the difference between the spacious Novy Arbat and the bulky Akademik Sakharov Avenue, it is easy to imagine the difference between the beginning and the end of the Brezhnev era. The Palace of Pioneers is a living utopia from the time when people believed that they would soon subdue thermonuclear fusion, create a just society and fly to distant planets on a shiny rocket. And therein lies its paradox.

    This complex lives in a parallel reality - by the end of the 20th century, humanity experienced a crisis of faith in progress. No one is interested in a bright future anymore: why explore real space when you can discuss space adventures in Christopher Nolan's new film on social networks? And even more - the hope that things will get better in the future has been replaced by a fear of change and a desire to fence off the future, forget about its existence and return to the past, or at least leave everything as it is. But, being on Sparrow Hills, you do not feel this trouble: progress is great, and the future cannot but be beautiful. Because if it is not beautiful, then why live at all?

    On the square near the Palace of Pioneers, it is easy to believe that everything will be fine. If only for this reason, in the late autumn of 2014 this is the best place in Moscow.

    Photos: Polina Kirilenko